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S.Sudan says aims to obtain anti-aircraft missiles

slindo@itweb.co.za — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:51:34 GMT

South Sudan will soon acquire anti-aircraft missiles to defend its territory against air attacks it says are frequently carried out by warplanes from neighbouring Sudan, said the South Sudanese military.

Since South Sudan became the world's newest independent nation in July last year, its government has accused northern neighbour Sudan of continuing aerial bombing raids on South Sudanese territory, a charge routinely denied by Khartoum.
Foreign reporters in South Sudan have witnessed bombings by Sudanese warplanes of targets including a market, a refugee camp and oil infrastructure, and border skirmishes between the two countries' armies last month included a series of air raids by the northern nation.

The United Nations' top human rights official said on Friday she was outraged by Sudan's "indiscriminate" bombings of South Sudan that killed and injured civilians, after U.N. officials verified damage and casualties caused by recent raids.

South Sudanese army spokesman Philip Aguer told Reuters on Wednesday Juba's military intended to acquire anti-aircraft missiles as part of the new African nation's plans to modernise and re-equip its armed forces, which had previously fought for years as a rebel guerrilla army against Khartoum.
"It will enhance our defenses. All strategic points need to be protected, including oil-producing areas and airports," Aguer said. He did not say where South Sudan would seek to purchase the anti-aircraft weapons, nor exactly what kind they would be.
"It depends on the market and the political will to sell to us," Aguer said.
He did not specify a time-frame for the South Sudanese army to acquire the anti-aircraft capability, but The Sudan Tribune newspaper quoted the head of South Sudan's army (SPLA) James Hoth Mai as saying his troops would be equipped with anti-aircraft missiles within a "few months."
Last month's fighting broke out amid disputes between the two former civil war foes over oil exports, border demarcation, citizenship rights and financial arrangements.
On May 2, the U.N. Security Council, endorsing an African Union peace plan, gave the two sides two weeks to resume talks on the outstanding disputes, but there was no indication that a firm date has been set for negotiations to restart.
The Security Council, including China and Russia, gave them three months to solve the issues or face sanctions.

CONSOLIDATING INDEPENDENCE
Aguer said acquiring air-defense capability would help South Sudan to consolidate its newly-won independence, unanimously endorsed by its population in a referendum following an initial 2005 peace agreement that ended more than two decades of civil war between the North and the South.
"Prior to independence, it was not easy to acquire these weapons but now I believe we will," Aguer said.
"This will promote the confidence of South Sudanese citizens that their airspace will not be violated again. That will have a psychological and physical impact," he added.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also called on Sudan to halt what she called "provocative" air bombardments.
Last week, a former U.S. special envoy to Sudan, Andrew Natsios, urged his country to send weapons to Juba.
"The only way to end the North's bullying and foster peace talks is to give the South the right tools: American anti-aircraft weapons," Natsios wrote in an article published in the Washington Post.

Experts said acquiring anti-aircraft weapons would certainly strengthen the South Sudanese army's arsenal against the generally better-armed northern forces, but would not necessarily end the bombings or the conflict.
Jonah Leff, project coordinator for the Small Arms Survey Sudan Project, said the South's army would have to be trained to use the surface-to-air missiles effectively.

"I wouldn't expect for Khartoum to back down, but anti-aircraft missiles would give the SPLA an advantage that they didn't previously have," he told Reuters by email.
"Even if Khartoum decides to cease its aerial operations, which I find doubtful, the two sides still seem to have an appetite for war, which could be fought on the battefield," Leff added.

The two Sudans sit on significant oil reserves, but the independence of the South gave it two-thirds of the oil outpout of the previously unified nation. A dispute over the level of fees independent South Sudan should pay to Sudan to export its crude through the north prompted Juba to shut off its oil production earlier this year, straining the two economies.

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir said on Tuesday Khartoum would not allow South Sudan to export any oil through its territory unless the two states settle all arguments over border security.

Wanted Congo general still using child soldiers: HRW

slindo@itweb.co.za — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:38:42 GMT

A renegade Congolese general wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes has begun to recruit child soldiers again to fight the government, according to a Human Rights Watch (HRW) investigation released.

Ghana takes delivery of second C-295; to receive Mi-17 helicopters

guy@defenceweb.co.za — Wed, 16 May 2012 11:02:17 GMT

The Ghana Air Force has received its second and final Airbus Military C295 transport aircraft. The first C-295 was delivered in November last year as part of the Air Force’s modernisation drive, which will also see it gain four Mi-17 helicopters in the coming months.

S.Africa seizes 10 rhino horns in arrest of Vietnamese

slindo@itweb.co.za — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:04:10 GMT

South African police have arrested a Vietnamese man suspected of being in illegal possession of 10 rhino horns, one elephant tusk and cash with a total value of nearly $3 million, an official said.

Islamists block first Mali aid convoy to Timbuktu

slindo@itweb.co.za — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:42:34 GMT

Mali's Islamist rebel group Ansar Dine blocked an aid convoy with tonnes of food and medical supplies for the northern city of Timbuktu objecting to the presence of women in a reception committee set up for the aid.

Sudan's Bashir says no S.Sudan oil exports without security

slindo@itweb.co.za — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:38:41 GMT

Sudan will not allow South Sudan to export any oil through its territory unless the two states settle all disputes over border security, said President Omar al-Bashir.

Pirates threaten to kill hostages after EU helicopters strike land base

slindo@itweb.co.za — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:35:44 GMT

Pirates have threatened to kill crew being held on more than a dozen hijacked vessels if they are attacked again, after European helicopters attacked a pirate base on the Somali coast.

Ministry of Defence budget hopelessly inadequate - Sisulu

guy@defenceweb.co.za — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:36:07 GMT

The Ministry of Defence’s R38.4 billion budget is “hopelessly inadequate”, according to Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu, who has requested additional funding for border safeguarding and maritime security, and received some supplemental funds.

European Union hits pirate targets on Somali coast in landmark move

guy@defenceweb.co.za — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:44:20 GMT

The European Union's anti-piracy naval force has attacked pirate installations on the Somali coastline by air, the first time it has done so since its mandate was expanded earlier this year.

Velvet Sky goes into liquidation

guy@defenceweb.co.za — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:42:37 GMT

Grounded airline Velvet Sky has been placed under provisional liquidation, after a ruling by the Pietermaritzburg High Court on Friday. Trade union Solidarity warned that the airline faces going down the same road as liquidated Aurora Empowerment Systems and advised Velvet Sky employees to start looking for other jobs.

West Africa nations to send troops to Bissau in days

slindo@itweb.co.za — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:50:52 GMT

West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS will start deploying troops to Guinea-Bissau by Friday to oversee a reform of the local army and a transition back to civilian rule after an April 12 military coup, said Nigeria's defence minister.

Airlift of South Sudanese from Sudan gets under way

slindo@itweb.co.za — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:47:33 GMT

The first group of around 12,000 South Sudanese ordered out of Sudan last month as conflict flared between the two neighbours flew into the southern nation's capital Juba in an internationally backed humanitarian airlift.

Seven UN peacekeepers shot at Congo protest

slindo@itweb.co.za — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:44:35 GMT

Seven United Nations peacekeepers in Congo were wounded when gunmen opened fire at a protest in the East of the country drawing condemnation from the U.N. Security Council.

Sisulu witnesses swearing in of SA’s first military ombudsman

guy@defenceweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:17:59 GMT

Lieutenant General Themba Matanzima has been sworn in as South Africa’s first military ombudsman at a ceremony in Pretoria today, which was attended by the minister of defence, the public protector and other dignitaries.

Pentagon to tighten contractors' cybersecurity

slindo@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:48:37 GMT

The U.S. Defence Department invited all of its eligible contractors to join a previously restricted information-sharing pact aimed at guarding sensitive Pentagon program data stored on private computer networks.

Police to shrink?

leon@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:40:18 GMT

The police's Annual Performance Plan for FY2012/13 shows the South African Police Service is to shrink by some 9000 personnel. The plan also shows the police are going ahead with plans to buy 5798 new vehicles for about R1.1 billion, and spend R97 million buying weapons and ammunition.

Police to shrink?

leon@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:40:18 GMT

Movement with Radiate?

leon@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:32:04 GMT

Two requests for quotations related to the South African National Defence Force's next generation of landward tactical communications systems, meaning HF and VHF radios, primarily for the SA Army, were recently issued.

U.N. official condemns Sudan for "indiscriminate" bombing

slindo@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:52:18 GMT

The U.N.'s top human rights official said she was outraged by Sudan's "indiscriminate" aerial bombing of South Sudan and warned that attacks that hurt civilians could be considered international crimes.

US drone strikes kill 10 suspected militants in Yemen

slindo@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:21:42 GMT

Two apparent US drone attacks killed at least 10 suspected al Qaeda-linked militants in Yemen while Yemeni government forces killed 15 others in a new offensive against insurgents, local and military officials said.

ANALYSIS: Nigeria president unlikely to risk oil graft crackdown

slindo@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:47:40 GMT

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is coming under pressure to prosecute top officials implicated in a $6.8 billion fuel subsidy fraud, but many of the suspects are allies he is unlikely to go after if wants to keep his power base intact.

NATO underplayed civilian deaths in Libya: HRW

slindo@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:43:02 GMT

NATO air strikes killed 72 civilians in Libya last year, Human Rights Watch said accusing the western alliance of failing to acknowledge the scope of collateral damage it caused during the campaign that helped oust Muammar Gaddafi.

Uganda captures Lord's Resistance Army commander

slindo@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:37:05 GMT

U ganda has captured one of the top five members of the Lord's Resistance Army, bringing it a step closer to catching Joseph Kony, the notorious rebel leader accused of war crimes, the military said on Sunday.

Uganda captures Lord's Resistance Army commander

slindo@itweb.co.za — Mon, 14 May 2012 06:37:05 GMT

SAAF holds Air Capability Demonstration

guy@defenceweb.co.za — Fri, 11 May 2012 13:41:00 GMT

The South African Air Force yesterday held its live fire Air Capability Demonstration at the Roodewal bombing range outside Polokwane, successfully demonstrating its various abilities. The Air Force is busy preparing for Exercise Savannah Thunder, which will use many of the same aircraft deployed for the Demonstration.